Syllabary
by YAY Productions
Summary: A series of alphabetical angst oneshots. First up: Asphyxiation...To kill someone by depriving them of air.


**A/N: Hi! This is Yin. This is going to be my first series of oneshots, following by the English alphabet. I hope you enjoy!**

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Syllabary: Written characters presenting syllables, serving as an alphabet

Asphyxiation: To kill someone by depriving them of air

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Sitting in a meditation position did not help. How could it? It did nothing for him. All he could do was run his hand along the small space that confined him, run his fingers across the concrete that confined him. He couldn't stand...he couldn't move around...he could merely sit, or be on his hands and knees...or just lay down and die...

Taking a deep breath in, Leo could feel how little there was of it. He was losing his oxygen...meaning this was completely sealed off...he was completely sealed off. Were his brothers okay? It looked like they had made it out of here...this infernal place. When they had come in...it was a basement...but as Leo sighed, he now knew it was to be both his prison and grave.

Fifteen minutes had passed, or that's what his T-Phone said. The first five minutes he had spent freaking out, hyperventilating, until he realized that he was depleting his limited air supply. The middle five minutes he spent trying to figure out what Captain Ryan would. When his hero failed him...Leo turned to Master Splinter. That's why he tried meditating, and that didn't work either. He was at a loss. He was taught to never give up...but what else could he do?

Resting the back of his head against the wall, Leo sighed. Raph would have found a way out. He probably would have punched his way out. Donnie would have come up with an ingenious way to get out. And Mikey...Mikey wouldn't even be in this situation. He was the fastest of his brothers, plus he had all four of them looking out for him. But he was, the mighty Leonardo, and how was he going to die? Not by the Kraang, not by the hands of the Shredder, but by his own stupid mistake.

But he wasn't to dwell on that. He had minutes at the maximum, seconds at the minimum before his air supply affected him even more than it was now. His head pounding, and he felt dizzy, like he was going to throw up. His body seemed to sway as he struggled to breathe. He didn't want to die. He just...he had to protect his brothers...he the oldest...how could he protect his family if he was dead?

Wheezing, Leo took in a deep breath to no avail. His hands shook and his vision blurred, but it didn't matter. It was too dark to see, far too dark. He was blind even though he could see.

Falling to the ground, Leo saw a small light. This had to be it...he was gone. That was what everybody said, right? The light at the end of the tunnel? Not to go near it? But he couldn't stay here...there was nothing for him here but pain.

A figure moved in front of the light, successfully blocking it. Strong arms reached out to him, pulling him away. Pulling him out of his grave. Leo could feel that his own body was limp, he couldn't hear anything, and his mouth felt dry.

There was some pressure placed on his chest, and he felt his own heart beat. Golden air filled his lungs, and he couldn't take enough of it in. It made everything better. Everything was good now...

Someone was helping him sit up, and just as he thought he could breathe again, something barreled over him, squeezing him tightly. It was pulled away, and the figures kept asking him something. Their muffled voices made no sense to him, and he couldn't see their mouths move. He just stared at them, and he could feel the concern rise a thousand degrees.

Blinking, Leo cleared his eyes. The air helped...oh the precious air. He caught his breath though, as he saw his three brothers kneeling in front of him.

"Leo, listen to me," Don snapped his fingers. "Leo, can you hear me?"

Mikey was crying, and Raph's eyes were glazed over blankly. The look on their faces...they thought they had lost him, even with him alive. They were covered in dust, defeated. They had been strong though. They had saved him at the brink of death's cold grip.

Leo tried to swallow, but he didn't realize how scratchy his throat was. He must have swallowed loads on dirt...instead, he reached out, pulling Mikey into a hug. Grins spread across of his brothers faces, and as they surrounded him, he smiled. "Thank you..." The voice that escaped his voice was rough, but it was alive.

He was a survivor. They were survivors. Together, they were family.

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**A/N: Yeah, I know the end is a little cheesy, but oh well lol. Please review!**


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